Iconic cricket grounds then and now
Melbourne Cricket Ground Hosted four of the first five Tests, including the first one ever, in March 1877. Built in 1853 when the Melbourne Cricket Club was forced to move because Australia's first steam train was set to pass through its existing oval, the MCG also hosted the first ODI on January 5, 1971. (Photo: 1904)•Getty Images
The Oval Steeped in history: hosted the first two Tests played in England, and after the second, in which Australia beat the hosts in August 1882, the Ashes legend was born when young London journalist, Reginald Shirley Brooks, wrote a mock obituary for English cricket in the Sporting Times. The ground was later a home to prisoners of war in transit during World War II. (Photo: 1953)•Getty Images
For many decades the pavilion, built in 1895, was the focal point of Old Trafford. It still stands - albeit renovated and refurbished - but now it is the big, red, shiny "Point" beside it, a £12 million conference centre, that grabs the eye most of all. (Photo: 2010)•Getty Images
Adelaide Oval The only ground apart from the MCG and SCG to host Test cricket in Australia in the 19th century. Opened in 1873, with St Peter's Cathedral providing a charming backdrop, it hosted its first Test in December 1884, and became the second Australian venue for ODI cricket in December 1975. (Photo: 1905) •Getty Images
Nestled at the foot of Table Mountain, Newlands is one of cricket's prettiest settings. The land where the ground sits was originally a wedding present to Lydia Corrina when she married the Vicomte de Montmort. It was rented from her in 1887, and work began on making it fit for cricket, after which the first match here was played in January 1888. (Photo: 2014)•Getty Images
Eden Gardens Cricket's Coliseum, could hold 100,000 back in the day. It featured in India's first home series, and has witnessed both exhilarating highs and shameful lows for Indian cricket. Think the come-from-behind win to halt the mighty Australians in 2001. Or the fires in the rioting stands that forced the 1996 World Cup semi-final to be called off with Sri Lanka on the brink of victory. (Photo: 1982)•Allsport/Getty Images
Chepauk, site of the famous tied Test of 1986, was redesigned ahead of the 2011 World Cup, opening up the stands (three of which remain locked down due to legal issues) to allow for the sea breezes coming in off the neighbouring Bay of Bengal to bring some relief during Chennai's endless summers. (Photo: 2011)•Getty Images
All these years later, the folks in hats continue to populate the MCG. Prior to renovations in the 1980s and '90s, it could hold a mind-boggling 125,000. It can now seat 95,000 in multi-tiered stands that tower over the massive playing area. Nasser Hussain said recently: "It's easy to lose your bearings at the G, look up when you're in the middle and the stands looming over you are so alike." (Photo: 2013)•Getty Images
The ground might have a sleek new grand stand, but its most iconic symbol remains the gasometer to its east, built in the 1850s. Venue of the only forfeited Test in history, in 2006, when Inzamam-ul-Haq's Pakistan refused to take the field after being charged with ball-tampering, causing umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove to award the game to England. (Photo: 2009)•Getty Images
Lord's Opened in 1814 by Yorkshire-born cricketer and businessman Thomas Lord, the "home of cricket" is owned by the Marylebone Cricket Club. Also the home of the ICC between 1909 and 2005. Had to wait its turn to host an international game though, its first chance coming in July 1884, cricket's 15th Test. (Photo: 1905)•Getty Images
It was here that the dark drama of the Bodyline saga hit a nadir, at one point forcing mounted policemen to oversee the crowd even as two Australian batsmen were struck. The swank stadium of today - a far cry from the laid-back, open ground of even a decade ago - is the result of a redevelopment project worth A$535 million in preparation for the 2015 World Cup. (Photo: 2015)•Getty Images
Sabina Park Hosted a game in the first Test series in the Caribbean in 1930. Where the 21-year-old Garry Sobers managed a cricketing miracle against Pakistan when he converted his maiden Test century into a triple, and went on to break the then record for the highest Test score with 365 not out. (Photo: 1930)•Getty Images
Renovations began in the lead up to the 2011 World Cup, but even as a ritzy glass front was added to the stadium and roofs came up over the stands, the ICC found the project to be behind schedule and the ground lost rights to the marquee India v England match-up. Currently home to ODI cricket's top individual score: Rohit Sharma's 264. (Photo: 2013)•BCCI
National Stadium The only ground still in use in Pakistan for Test cricket that was part of the country's inaugural series. The stadium went on to become a fortress for Pakistan: in 34 Tests between that first match in February-March 1955 and December 2000, they won 17 and were never beaten here. (Photo: 1984)•Getty Images
Old Trafford In July 1884, it became England's second Test venue, and the first to host an Ashes Test. Also the second ground overall to host an ODI. Was part of another bit of history in 1956, when Jim Laker took cricket's first perfect ten (after a first-innings nine-for) to destroy Australia in their follow on. (Photo: 1910)•PA Photos
While the terracotta-coloured pavilion, built in 1890, has dominated one end through the decades, the Nursery End (named for Henderson's agricultural nursery, and seen in an older avatar in the previous photo) took on a futuristic new look when the "spaceship" media centre - now set for a £4 million overhaul - was opened in 1999. (Photo: 2011)•Getty Images
Newlands Along with St George's Park in Port Elizabeth, one of two host venues in the first Test series on South African soil, in 1889. After South Africa returned from their two decades of isolation, Newlands also hosted the first ODI held in the country, in December 1992. (Photo: 1910)•Getty Images
Witnessed a less-flattering event in 1998, when a Test between West Indies and England was abandoned after 10.1 overs due to an unsafe pitch. England batted, and the member of the visiting party most spotted thereafter was physio Wayne Morton, who reportedly had to come out to tend to England's batsmen six times in 66 minutes. The ground was redeveloped ahead of the 2007 World Cup. (Photo: 2013)•Getty Images
MA Chidambaram Stadium Also known as Chepauk, after the Chennai locality where it sits, the ground hosted a game in India's maiden home series in 1933-34. The first Ranji Trophy match was played here, between Madras and Mysore, a season later. Also the venue of India's first Test victory - an innings win against England in 1952. (Photo: 1993)•Getty Images
Sadly, the ground is also the venue of the last completed Test on Pakistan soil till date, hosting the Sri Lankans in February 2009 before that fateful day in Lahore triggered a six-year drought during which no international cricket was played in the country. (Photo: 2007)•Getty Images
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